William horkocks



(No ModeL) W. HORROOKS.

CABINET FOR TYPE WRITERS;

' No. 376,092. Patented Jan. 10, 1888.

mine/556s;-

" V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HORROCKS,,OF ILION, ASSIGNOR TO WYOKOFF, SEAMANS BENEDICT, OFNEW YORK, N.-Y.

CABINET FOR TYPE-WRITERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,092, dated January10, 1888.

Application filed August 22, 1887. Serial Il'o. 247,541. (No model.)

' of Ilion, in the county of Herkimer and State New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Cabinets for Type- Writers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cabinets for typewriters; and the inventionconsists in a reversible top arranged to serve as a' support for thetype-Writer, and also as a desk-top when reversed.

It further consists in a flexible portion so arranged in connection withthe reversible top as to close the space underneath the machine when notin use and exclude the dust therefrom, all as hereinafter morefullyshown and described.

Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe cabinet arranged for use as a desk,and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section showing the parts inposition for using the type-Writer.

1n the drawings, A indicates the body of the cabinet, made in the formof a flat-topped business-desk, with a series of drawers at each side ofthe central space, though, if desired, the drawers may be dispensedwith, in which case the cabinet will be that muchshorter, thislatterstyle being sometimes desirable on account of want of room.

In the central space I fit a movable sect-ion or top, B, of the propershape and size to fill said space, as shown in Fig.1, so that whenturned to the position there shown its surface will come flush with thetop of the cabinet,

thus forming in connection with the rest of the top a smooth even topfor use as a desk.

It'is desirable for convenience of the operator that the key-board ofthe type-writer should be a little lower than the top of the cabinet,and to accomplish this and at the same time have the reversible part Bcome flush with the top of the cabinet when turned over for use as adesk I pivot the part B eccentrically, as shown in Fig. 2, 6 being thepivots, one at each end, on which it turns, and 0 being brackets, one ateach end, secured to the top B and journaled on said pivots. The pivotse are located below the top of the cabinet a distance just equal to thelength of the brackets, and which may bemore or less, as preferred, theresult, of course, being that when the top B is turned to thepositionshown in Fig. 1 it is thrown up above the pivots and brought flush withthe top of the cabinet, and when turned over to bring the typewriterinto position for use the top or shelf B is brought below the pivots,thereby bringing the key board of the type-writer I into the desiredposition, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. i

It is obvious that the part B might be pivoted so that either of itssurfaces would come flush with the top, and such arrangement is withinthe scope ofmy invention, and the cabinet Will be so made wheneverparties may desire'it; but, for the reason above stated, the plan shownwill be generally preferred.

To that surface of the reversible top 13 on which the type-Writer I issecured I secure a strip, 6, as shown in Fig. 2, it being so lo catedthat when the top is turned over to the position shown in Fig. 1 thisstrip 1) will form ing set back a little from the edge of the top B, soas to leavea small recess atthe front when turned in that position, asshown in Fig; 1;

but it obviously may be brought out flush with the front edge of thecabinet, if desired.

In order to close the space underneath the machine when turned down andout of use, I provide a sheet, 0, of flexible n1aterialot' cloth.rubber, leather, oil-cloth, or any similar flexible materialof such asize as to reach from side to side crosswise of the space and secure oneedge of it to the inner face of the strip 1), as shown in Fig. 2, itsopposite edge being secured to a shelf, D, which projects from the backof the cabinet in the space below, as shown.

\Vhen the top B with the machine on it is turned over in the directionindicated by the IOO pensed with by making the curtain 0 longer andattaching its rear edge to the back wall of the cabinet; but I prefer touse the shelf D, as it serves to unite the two sides of the cabinet, andthus renders it more rigid and strong, more especially as in this caseit has no continuous front rail to unite the two ends,though it isobvious that it may be made with a continuous front rail by making thereversible top B a little narrower from front to rear, so that its edgeswould swing inside of said rail when turned either side up.

It will be observed that when the top is turned to the position shown inFig. 2 the edge of the strip b will come under the back part, H, of thestationary top, which thus serves as a stop or rest to hold it firmly inposition, it being prevented from turning back from that position by thepreponderance of the weight of machine I in front of the pivots e, themachine being set much nearer one edge of the top B than the other, asshown in Fig. 2, this being done also for thepurpose ofbringing the keysnear the front edge of the cabinet for the convenience of the operator,as otherwise the side walls, which project above the key-board, mightinterfere with the free use of his or her arms.

Of course if the top B be pivoted flush with the top of the cabinet, ashereinbefore stated, then the side walls would not project above thekeys, in which case the machine might be set farther back, but that isnot thought desirable.

A spring catch or bolt, or a l1ook-andeye,or any similar fastening, maybe used, if desired, to lock the reversible top in either position, butit is not deemed necessary, as the strip 1) and the stationary part H ofthe top serve to hold it secure when turned to the position shown inFig. 2,while the ogee or beveled edge 0 of the reversible part B fitsagainst and rests upon the corresponding]y-shaped front edge of the partH when turned to the position shown in Fig. 1.

As the loose carriage h of the type-writer I would swing away from themachine when the latter is swung or turned over into the space below thetop or platform B, it is provided wit-h a spring-hook, i, by which it isclamped to the bed of the machine at its front edge; but as this willform the subject of a separate application, filed September 24, 1887,Serial No. 250,554, it is not described herein.

By this construction I am enabled to produce a very neat and compactcabinet at a reduced cost, and that fulfills all the conditionsrequired, dispensing with the hinged lid and links heretofore used.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A cabinetfor type-writers consisting of the case or body A, having a centralsection, B, of its top pivoted eccentrieallyto or within the body,substantially as shown, whereby said section when turned one side upwillserve as a shelf to support a type-writer in proper position for useand when turned the other side up will come flush with the stationaryportions of the top and serve as a desk-top.

2. The combination, in a cabinet for typewriters, of the body A, thepivoted and reversible section or shelf B, and a flexible curtain, 0,having one of its edges secured to a stationary portion of the body ator near its rear side and the other edge secured to that edge of thereversible section which is at the front when arranged for use as adesk, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a type-writer cabinet, of the stationarysectional top having its inner edge beveled, and the reversible orpivoted section B,having its edgeo provided with a corresponding bevelto serve as stops and hold the part B in position when arranged for useas a desk.

4. The combination, in a type-writer cab inet,of the body A,providedwith the stationary sectional top H, and the eecentrically-pivotedsection or shelf B,provided with the strip b, arranged to come incontact with the stationary part H when the section B is turned to theposition shown in Fig. 2, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

5. The combination, in a cabinet for typewriters, of the body A, thepivoted reversible section B, and the flexible curtain G, the said partsbeing arranged to operate substantially as shown,whereby the curtain ismade to close the space underneath the machine when the latter is turneddownward, and thus protect the same from dust.

VILLIAM 'HORROCKS.

XVitnesses:

A. W. HAsLEnURsT, G. L. AVERY, J r.

